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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

WIBU to put a note on this car?

134 replies

JammyGem · 20/08/2019 15:06

Our street is really bad for parking - it's very tight and narrow and difficult to get a space. The last few weeks the same car has parked outside our house. There are no designated spaces or permits, so although it's annoying as it means sometimes we have to park a couple streets over if there's no space, it's just one of those things.

However, this car always parks halfway up onto the pavement. I understand that the street is narrow, and everyone wants to avoid getting their car scratched, but they are the only ones to do this. There is enough room to get the pram past it on the street, but often they park right in front of our gate so there's hardly any room to manoeuvre the pram out of the gate onto the street iyswim. A couple of times I've bumped into their car (thankfully with my body rather than the pram) and I'm worried I'll scratch it. Plus it's just plain annoying.

I could assemble the pram on the street and then carry DD to it, but to be honest I just don't want to do that as it's really inconvenient.

WIBU to put a note on the car? I don't know who it belongs to, or even if they live on this street, as I never seem to catch them. I was thinking something along the lines of: "Hi, please be mindful of how much of the pavement you take up when parking - it makes it difficult to get our pram out of the gate and I'm worried about damaging your car! JammyGem @ [housenumber]"

Is that rude?

OP posts:
Lulualla · 21/08/2019 08:07

It's not just one car. You'd be stopping and waiting every 30 yards. My time is rather important to me and I'm not leaving double the journey time just to protect paintwork of cars when the signage has clearly warned them not to park on the pavement.
And what about the wheelchair users? Dropped kerbs are few and far between. Do you expect them to backtrack to the last dropped kerb and basically do their entire journey on the road? Because they can't just bump down and go around each car.

NoSauce · 21/08/2019 08:09

It’s one car in this situation.

Are you saying you just walk past numerous cars scratching them all?

Lulualla · 21/08/2019 08:09

If drivers park dangerously in certain areas then they will just need to accept the consequences of that.

Lulualla · 21/08/2019 08:11

Not anymore. My kids have been out of pushchairs for 6 years.

I'd walk past them with my pushchair butted up against the wall on one side. If it made it past without anything scratching the car then great, but if any scratchy part of the pushchair caught the car, I didn't stop to prevent it. Mostly pushchairs don't cause scratches but when it happened, I didn't lose any sleep over it.

Lulualla · 21/08/2019 08:13

It wasn't like it was people living there. If was drivers parking there because they didn't want to pay £1.50 for all day parking at the train station. There is no need to park on the road. There aren't any business and very few houses. The only people parking there where avoiding using the massive park and ride for the sake of £1.50. No sympathy for them.

Juells · 21/08/2019 08:16

If drivers park dangerously in certain areas then they will just need to accept the consequences of that.

^^ this

Easy to tell which posters park on the pavement and expect everyone else to creep out onto the road when there's a 3-second break in the traffic Grin

mrssoap · 21/08/2019 08:17

Leave a note. Where I live we have a car park, with designated spaces. They are small spaces, one day I came out to my car to find a note from next door (why he didn't come round and speak I do not know but never mind!) saying "hi, would you mind parking a bit further over please as I struggle to get in and out of my car as I'm next to the wall, thanks"

Well perfectly fine, not rude, and now I'm more considerate how I park! So yeah leave a note.

LadyOfTheCanyon · 21/08/2019 08:17

Stop dicking about OP. Take a massive shit on their bonnet and be done with it. Grin

Juells · 21/08/2019 08:18

I do think it's worth leaving a note saying you can't get by with a pram - I'm dozy, and before I had children it wouldn't have occurred to me that I might be causing a problem for prams or wheelchairs.

BoneyBackJefferson · 21/08/2019 08:18

I wouldn't put anything in the letter that refers directly to you, your house or accepting liability for damage.

Several posts have posted variations that would be better as any damage cannot be attributed to you just general pedestrians using the street.

TeddybearBaby · 21/08/2019 08:19

Did you leave a note?

thedancingbear · 21/08/2019 08:20

The people talking about deliberately damaging cars because they are badly parked are absolute dicks.

NoSauce · 21/08/2019 08:21

I absolutely don’t park on the pavement. And I push a pram quite often on streets where there’s parked on the pavement, I just use my head instead of acting impulsively. Recently I was pushing my friends baby and tried to get past a car that was parked on double yellows on the pavement, two adults in the front, engine on, both on phones. I just knocked on the window and said I couldn’t get passed and she was illegally parked.

She moved and apologised. If she hadn’t been in the car I still wouldn’t have scratched her car but would have walked around it when safe to do so.

AnAC12UCOinanOCG · 21/08/2019 08:24

Do it. I used to park in a way that inconvenienced my neighbour and I had no idea until he pointed it out nicely. I never did it again.

Biancadelrioisback · 21/08/2019 08:26

There is a car like this round mine. I wouldn't care except there is a lampposts level with the the front of their front wheel so you can get through fine up until that point. I refuse to go on the road because it's on the crest of a hill so I have to manoeuvre myself around, often involved practically sitting on their bonnet. Theyve caught me once and I just smiled and waved.

croprotationinthe13thcentury · 21/08/2019 08:27

Actually having reconsidered my earlier dogshit post I realise I need to emphasise: only smear a very tiny trace amount of dog shut under the handle. Then the idiotic driver wont realise they even have anything on their fingers but will be confused about the vile smell. You could do this each day.

PurpleCrazyHorse · 21/08/2019 08:38

Our local community policing team can send a ticket based on members of the public sending a photograph. There are some requirements but check out your local community policing team and see if they can do that if they persist.

Has been effective near me as one car used to park really inconsiderately. Wish I still had the buggy now as I used to like sending photos of blocked pavements.

HeronLanyon · 21/08/2019 08:43

I agree ‘please be mindful’ is not the best start. Rest of it is fab and to the point. Thanks for Brucey bonus diagramme. !

HeronLanyon · 21/08/2019 08:44

Oh that diagramme had some Bruce’s bonus letters !

RonnieScotts · 21/08/2019 08:57

It's not just about getting prams past, its wheelchairs too. I'd do more than just leaving a polite note, I'd be finding someone to report this illegal parking to.

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 21/08/2019 08:58

I would just get my pram safely out onto the pavement and if the car gets scratched in that process, wouldn't give it a second thought. They choose to park there, they choose the consequences of parking like a twat.

JammyGem · 21/08/2019 09:11

So I don't know if the driver is on MN but they have now moved their car. It's further down the street and whilst still on the pavement, it's only the wheels so leaving plenty of room.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now but if they park like a twat again I'll definitely leave a note. Won't mention scratching their car though - if it does ever get damaged I'd be the prime suspect.

OP posts:
JammyGem · 21/08/2019 09:13

Also, I'm not going to deliberately damage their car. I mean, popping their tyres, dog shit under the handles?! Remind me to never get on your bad sides! Grin

OP posts:
Coffeeandchocolate9 · 21/08/2019 09:15

9/10. I like the diagram, I like "please be mindful" the only thing I'm not so keen on is the scribble.

Benes · 21/08/2019 09:27

I absolutely would leave a note. This happens on my street all the time. I don't use a pram anymore but there is no way I'm letting my 4 year old walk on a busy road. If he scratches a car then so be it. 🤷

Inconsiderate parking really infuriates me. I recently got blocked from my village community FB page because I suggested leaving a note saying 'please don't park like a twat' on a car that was parked blocking the entrance to an entire street. Apparently I should be more understanding as we don't understand why they parked like that .....I don't care just don't park like a twat!!

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